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Page 274
was close at hand, a good mistress who listened to her people's complaints readily; she had many faithful servants who would run to her with news of another servant's cheating.
He had been stripped of his clothes, his money, his horse and arms, the messenger cried passionately. Even the message had been defaced, the seal torn from it. Alinor interrupted to confirm this last and to say for all to hear this time that the seal had been brought to her as a token and she had paid the ransom required, not daring to refuse when the king's messenger and the king's orders were at stake. She received tearful thanks. They would have killed him to conceal their crime if she had not paid, the messenger said. The large ransom, they had told him, was to enable them to flee the country. They had laughed at him when he told them they would be hunted high and low for interfering with a king's messenger. Not in France, they said contemptuously; King John's power did not stretch to France.
Eventually, having unburdened his soul of its fears and frustrations, the man handed over his defaced scroll. Alinor begged that her guests would forgive her while she opened and read it at once. It had been overlong in coming, and she desired no more delay before the king's wishes were attended to. Ian bit his lip until he was able to control his mouth. Then he gave low-voiced instructions to Owain to see that the messenger was cared for, allowed to wash, fed and rested, and provided with decent garments instead of the foul rags he was wearing. Ian was happy to have something to hold his attention. He was not sure whether it would have been possible for him to control his expression when Alinor displayed the consternation and regret almost certainly called for by the message. Ian was not even sure what his expression would display because he was so torn between horror, anxiety, relief, and amusement.
He did miss Alinor's first fulsome regrets that it was

 
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